A learned brahmana named Upendra Misra who resided in the district of Srihatta was the father of Jagannatha Misra, who came to Navadvipa to study under the direction of Nilambara Cakravarti and then settled there after marrying Nilambara Cakravarti's daughter, Sacidevi. Sri Sacidevi gave birth to eight children, all daughters, who died one after another immediately after birth. After her ninth pregnancy, she gave birth to a son, who was named Visvarupa. Then, in 1407 Saka Era (A.D. 1486), on the full moon evening of the month of Phalguna, during the constellation of simha-lagna, Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu appeared as the son of Sri Sacidevi and Jagannatha Misra. After hearing of the birth of Caitanya Mahaprabhu, learned scholars and brahmanas, bringing many gifts, came to see the newly born baby. Nilambara Cakravarti, who was a great astrologer, immediately prepared a horoscope, and by astrological calculation he saw that the child was a great personality. This chapter describes the symptoms of this great personality.

In the Caitanya-bhagavata, First Chapter, there is a statement about the method by which Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu taught grammar. Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu explained the aphorisms of grammar to be eternal, like the holy name of Krsna. As stated in Bhagavad-gita (15.15), vedais ca sarvair aham eva vedyah. The purport of all revealed scriptures is understanding of Krsna. Therefore if a person explains anything that is not Krsna, he simply wastes his time laboring hard without fulfilling the aim of his life. If one simply becomes a teacher or professor of education but does not understand Krsna, it is to be understood that he is among the lowest of mankind, as stated in Bhagavad-gita (7.15): naradhama mayayapahrta-jnanah. If one does not know the essence of all revealed scriptures but still becomes a teacher, his teaching is like the disturbing braying of an ass.

sravanam kirtanam visnoh
smaranam pada-sevanam
arcanam vandanam dasyam
sakhyam atma-nivedanam

Jayadeva was born during the reign of Maharaja Laksmana Sena of Bengal in the eleventh or twelfth century of the Saka Era. His father was Bhojadeva, and his mother was Vamadevi. For many years he lived in Navadvipa, then the capital of Bengal. His birthplace was in the Birbhum district in the village Kendubilva. In the opinion of some authorities, however, he was born in Orissa, and still others say that he was born in southern India. He passed the last days of his life in Jagannatha Puri. One of his famous books is Gita-govinda, which is full of transcendental mellow feelings of separation from Krsna. The gopis felt separation from Krsna before the rasa dance, as mentioned in the Srimad-Bhagavatam, and the Gita-govinda expresses such feelings. There are many commentaries on the Gita-govinda by many Vaisnavas.

Candidasa was born in the village of Nannura, which is also in the Birbhum district of Bengal. He was born of a brahmana family, and it is said that he also took birth in the beginning of the fourteenth century, Sakabda Era. It has been suggested that Candidasa and Vidyapati were great friends because the writings of both express the transcendental feelings of separation profusely. The feelings of ecstasy described by Candidasa and Vidyapati were actually exhibited by Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. He relished all those feelings in the role of Srimati Radharani, and His appropriate associates for this purpose were Sri Ramananda Raya and Sri Svarupa Damodara Gosvami. These intimate associates of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu helped the Lord very much in the pastimes in which He felt like Radharani.

Sri Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura comments in this connection that such feelings of separation as Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu enjoyed from the books of Vidyapati, Candidasa and Jayadeva are especially reserved for persons like Sri Ramananda Raya and Svarupa Damodara, who were paramahamsas, men of the topmost perfection, because of their advanced spiritual consciousness. Such topics are not to be discussed by ordinary persons imitating the activities of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu. For critical students of mundane poetry and literary men without God consciousness who are after bodily sense gratification, there is no need to read such a high standard of transcendental literature. Persons who are after sense gratification should not try to imitate raganuga devotional service. In their songs, Candidasa, Vidyapati and Jayadeva have described the transcendental activities of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Mundane reviewers of the songs of Vidyapati, Jayadeva and Candidasa simply help people in general become debauchees, and this leads only to social scandals and atheism in the world. One should not misunderstand the pastimes of Radha and Krsna to be the activities of a mundane young boy and girl. The mundane sexual activities of young boys and girls are most abominable. Therefore, those who are in bodily consciousness and who desire sense gratification are forbidden to indulge in discussions of the transcendental pastimes of Sri Radha and Krsna.

In the Bengali year 1331 (A.D. 1924) a thunderbolt struck the temple of Ekacakra-grama. Therefore the temple is now in a broken state. Before this, there were no such accidents in that quarter. Within the temple there is a Deity of Sri Krsna established by Sri Nityananda Prabhu. The name of the Deity is Bankima Raya or Banka Raya.

On the right side of Bankima Raya is a Deity of Jahnava, and on His left side is Srimati Radharani. The priests of the temple describe that Lord Nityananda Prabhu entered within the body of Bankima Raya and that the Deity of Jahnava-mata was therefore later placed on the right side of Bankima Raya. Afterwards, many other Deities were installed within the temple. On another throne within the temple are Deities of Muralidhara and Radha-Madhava. On another throne are Deities of Manomohana, Vrndavana-candra and Gaura-Nitai. But Bankima Raya is the Deity originally installed by Nityananda Prabhu.

On the eastern side of the temple is a ghata known as Kadamba-khandi on the bank of the Yamuna, and it is said that the Deity of Bankima Raya was floating in the water and Lord Nityananda Prabhu picked Him up and then installed Him in the temple. Thereafter, in a place known as Bhaddapura, in the village of Viracandra-pura, about half a mile west, in a place underneath a nima tree, Srimati Radharani was found. For this reason, the Radharani of Bankima Raya was known as Bhaddapurera Thakurani, the mistress of Bhaddapura. On another throne, on the right side of Bankima Raya, is a Deity of Yogamaya.

Now the temple and temple corridor rest on a high plinth, and on a concrete structure in front of the temple is a meeting hall. It is also said that on the northern side of the temple there was a Deity of Lord Siva named Bhandisvara and that the father of Nityananda Prabhu, Hadai Pandita, used to worship that Deity. At present, however, the Bhandisvara Deity is missing, and in his place a Jagannatha Svami Deity has been installed. Lord Nityananda Prabhu did not factually construct any temples. The temple was constructed at the time of Virabhadra Prabhu. In the Bengali year 1298 (A.D. 1891), the temple being in a dilapidated condition, a brahmacari of the name Sivananda Svami repaired it.

In this temple there is an arrangement to offer foodstuffs to the Deity on the basis of seventeen seers of rice and necessary vegetables. The present priestly order of the temple belongs to the family of Gopijana-vallabhananda, one of the branches of Nityananda Prabhu. There is a land settlement in the name of the temple, and income from this land finances the expenditures for the temple. There are three parties of priestly gosvamis who take charge of the temple management, one after another. A few steps onward from the temple is a place known as Visramatala, where it is said that Nityananda Prabhu in His childhood used to enjoy sporting with His boyfriends by enacting the rasa-lila and various other pastimes of Vrndavana.

Near the temple is a place named Amalitala, which is so named because of a big tamarind tree there. According to a party named the Nedadi-sampradaya, Virabhadra Prabhu, with the assistance of twelve hundred Nedas, dug a great lake of the name Svetaganga. Outside of the temple are tombs of the Gosvamis, and there is a small river known as the Maudesvara, which is called the water of Yamuna. Within half a mile from this small river is the birthplace of Sri Nityananda Prabhu. It appears that there was a big meeting hall in front of the temple, but later it became dilapidated. It is now covered by banyan trees. Later on, a temple was constructed within which Gaura-Nityananda Deities are existing. The temple was constructed by the late Prasannakumara Karapharma. A tablet was installed in his memory in the Bengali year 1323 (A.D. 1916), in the month of Vaisakha (April-May).

The place where Nityananda Prabhu appeared is called Garbhavasa. There is an allotment of about forty-three bighas (fourteen acres) of land to continue the worship in a temple there. The Maharaja of Dinajapura donated twenty bighas (6.5 acres) of land in this connection. It is said that near the place known as Garbhavasa, Hadai Pandita conducted a primary school. The priests of this place, listed in a genealogical table, were as follows: (1) Sri Raghavacandra, (2) Jagadananda dasa, (3) Krsnadasa, (4) Nityananda dasa, (5) Ramadasa, (6) Vrajamohana dasa, (7) Kanai dasa, (8) Gauradasa, (9) Sivananda dasa and (10) Haridasa. Krsnadasa belonged to the Cidiya-kunja at Vrndavana. The date of his disappearance is Krsna-janmastami. Cidiya-kunja is a place now managed by the gosvamis of Singara-ghata in Vrndavana. They are also known as belonging to the Nityananda family, most probably on the basis of their relationship with Krsnadasa.

Near Garbhavasa is a place called Bakulatala, where Sri Nityananda Prabhu and His boyfriends used to take part in sporting activities known as jhala-jhapeta. There is a bakula tree there that is wonderful because all its branches and subbranches look like the hoods of serpents. It has been suggested that by the desire of Sri Nityananda Prabhu, Anantadeva manifested Himself in that way. The tree is very old. It is said that formerly it had two trunks, but later on, when the playmates of Nityananda Prabhu felt inconvenience in jumping from the branches of one trunk to those of the nother, Nityananda Prabhu, by His mercy, merged the two trunksinto one.

Another place nearby is named Hantugada. It is said that Lord Nityananda Prabhu brought all the holy places there. Therefore the people in the surrounding villages go there instead of to the Ganges to take bath. It is named Hantugada because Srila Nityananda Prabhu used to perform the dadhi-cida festival of distributing chipped rice with yogurt prasada there and He took the prasada kneeling down. A sanctified lake in this place is always full of water throughout the year. A great fair is held there during Gosthastami, and there is another big fair on the birthday of Sri Nityananda Prabhu. In the Gaura-ganoddesa-dipika it is described that Halayudha, Baladeva, Visvarupa and Sankarsana appeared as Nityananda Avadhuta.

patram puspam phalam toyam
yo me bhaktya prayacchati
tad aham bhakty-upahrtam
asnami prayatatmanah

catur-vidha bhajante mam
janah sukrtino 'rjuna
arto jijnasur artharthi
jnani ca bharatarsabha

Jagannatha Misra was a brahmana; therefore people would send him all bodily necessities--money, cloth, grain and so on. While Lord Caitanya was in the womb of Sacimata, Jagannatha Misra received all these necessities of life without asking for them. Because of the presence of the Lord in his family, everyone offered him due respect as a brahmana. In other words, if a brahmana or Vaisnava sticks to his position as an eternal servant of the Lord and executes the will of the Lord, there is no question of scarcity for his personal maintenance or the needs of his family.

In this age, the worship of the salagrama-sila is not as important as the chanting of the holy name of the Lord. That is the injunction of the sastra. Harer nama harer nama harer namaiva kevalam. kalau nasty eva nasty eva nasty eva gatir anyatha. Srila Jiva Gosvami's opinion is that by chanting the holy name offenselessly one becomes completely perfect. Nevertheless, just to purify the situation of the mind, worship of the Deity in the temple is also necessary. Therefore when one is advanced in spiritual consciousness or is perfectly situated on a spiritual platform he may take to the worship of the salagrama-sila.

The transference of the Lord from the heart of Jagannatha Misra to the heart of Sacimata is explained by Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura as follows: "It is to be concluded that Jagannatha Misra and Sacimata are nitya-siddhas, ever purified associates of the Lord. Their hearts are always uncontaminated, and therefore they never forget the Supreme Personality of Godhead. A common man in this material world has a contaminated heart. He must therefore first purify his heart to come to the transcendental position. But Jagannatha Misra and Sacimata were not a common man and woman with contaminated hearts. When the heart is uncontaminated, it is said to be in the existential position of Vasudeva. Vasudeva can beget Vasudeva, or Krsna, who is transcendentally situated."

It is to be understood that Sacidevi did not become pregnant as an ordinary woman becomes pregnant because of sense indulgence. One should not think the pregnancy of Sacimata to be that of an ordinary woman because that is an offense. One can understand the pregnancy of Sacimata when one is actually advanced in spiritual consciousness and fully engaged in the devotional service of the Lord.

In Srimad-Bhagavatam (10.2.16) it is stated:

bhagavan api visvatma
bhaktanam abhayan-karah
avivesamsa-bhagena
mana anakadundubheh

Lord Krsna, as the eternal son of Yasodamayi, is always present in Vrndavana. The pastimes of Lord Krsna are continuously going on within both this material world and the spiritual world. In such pastimes, the Lord always thinks Himself the eternal son of mother Yasoda and father Nanda Maharaja. In the Tenth Canto of Srimad-Bhagavatam, Chapter Six, verse 43, it is stated, "When magnanimous, broad-hearted Nanda Maharaja came back from a tour, he immediately took his son Krsna on his lap and experienced transcendental bliss by smelling His head." Similarly, in the Tenth Canto, Ninth Chapter, verse 21, it is said, "This Personality of Godhead, appearing as the son of a cowherd damsel, is easily available and understandable to devotees, whereas those who are under the concept of bodily life, even though they are very advanced in austerity and penance or even though they are great philosophers, are unable to understand Him."

Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura next quotes Sripada Baladeva Vidyabhusana, who refers to the prayers offered by the demigods to Lord Krsna in the womb of Devaki and summarizes the birth of Krsna as follows: "As the rising moon manifests light in the east, so Devaki, who was always situated on the transcendental platform, having been initiated in the Krsna mantra by Vasudeva, the son of Surasena, kept Krsna within her heart." From this statement of Srimad-Bhagavatam (10.2.18) it is understood that the Supreme Personality of Godhead, having been transferred from the heart of Anakadundubhi, or Vasudeva, manifested Himself in the heart of Devaki. According to Srila Baladeva Vidyabhusana, the "heart of Devaki" means the womb of Devaki because in the Srimad-Bhagavatam, Tenth Canto, Second Chapter, verse 41, the demigods say, distyamba te kuksi-gatah parah puman: "Mother Devaki, the Lord is already within your womb." Therefore, that the Lord was transferred from the heart of Vasudeva to the heart of Devaki means that He was transferred to the womb of Devaki.

Similarly, in regard to the appearance of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu as described in the Caitanya-caritamrta, the words visese sevana kare govinda-carana, "they specifically began to worship the lotus feet of Govinda," indicate that exactly as Krsna appeared in the heart of Devaki through the heart of Vasudeva, so Lord Caitanya appeared in the heart of Sacidevi through the heart of Jagannatha Misra. This is the mystery of the appearance of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Consequently, one should not think of Lord Caitanya's appearance as that of a common man or living entity. This subject matter is a little difficult to understand, but for devotees of the Lord it will not at all be difficult to realize the statements given by Krsnadasa Kaviraja Gosvami.

sala 1407.10.22.28.45
dinam
7    11    8
15    54    38
40    37    40
13    6    23

The explanation of the horoscope given by Bhaktivinoda Thakura is that at the time of the birth of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu the constellations were situated as follows: Sukra (Venus) was in Mesa-rasi (Aries), in the constellation of Asvini; Ketu (the ninth planet) was in Simha-rasi (Leo), in Uttaraphalguni; Candra (the moon) was in Simha-rasi, in Purvaphalguni (the eleventh lunar mansion); Sani (Saturn) was in Vrscika-rasi (Scorpio), in Jyestha; Brhaspati (Jupiter) was in Dhanu-rasi, in Purvasadha (Sagittarius); Mangala (Mars) was in Makara-rasi (Capricorn), in Sravana; Ravi (the sun) and Rahu were in Kumbha-rasi (Aquarius), in Purvabhadrapada; and Budha (Mercury) was in Mina-rasi (Pisces), in Uttarabhadrapada.. The lagna was Simha.

acaitanyam idam visvam yadi caitanyam isvaram
na viduh sarva-sastra-jna hy api bhramyanti te janah

prasarita-maha-prema-piyusa-rasa-sagare
caitanya-candre prakate yo dino dina eva sah

avatirne gaura-candre vistirne prema-sagare
suprakasita-ratnaughe yo dino dina eva sah

Similarly, the Srimad-Bhagavatam (2.3.19, 20, 23) states:

sva-vid-varahostra-kharaih
samstutah purusah pasuh
na yat-karna-pathopeto
jatu nama gadagrajah

bile batorukrama-vikraman ye
na srnvatah karna-pute narasya
jihvasati dardurikeva suta
na copagayaty urugaya-gathah

jivan chavo bhagavatanghri-renum
na jatu martyo 'bhilabheta yas tu
sri-visnu-padya manujas tulasyah
svasan chavo yas tu na veda gandham

Similarly, the Srimad-Bhagavatam, Tenth Canto, Chapter One, verse 4, states:

nivrtta-tarsair upagiyamanad
bhavausadhac chrotra-mano-'bhirama
t ka uttamasloka-gunanuvadat
puman virajyeta vina pasu-ghnat

Similarly, in the Third Canto, Chapter Twenty-three, verse 56, the Bhagavatam says, na tirtha-pada-sevayai jivann api mrto hi sah: "Although a person is apparently living, if he does not serve the lotus feet of great devotees he is to be considered a dead body."

sri-caitanya-nityananda, acarya advaitacandra,
svarupa-rupa-raghunathadasa
inha-sabara sri-carana, sire vandi nija-dhana,
janma-lila gaila krsnadasa

dhana mora nityananda, radha-krsna-sricarana
sei mora pranadhana

Sometimes smartas consider Raghunatha dasa Gosvami a sudra. But Krsnadasa Kaviraja Gosvami here especially mentions svarupa-rupa-raghunathadasa. Therefore one who considers the lotus feet of Raghunatha dasa to be transcendental to all divisions of the caste system enjoys the riches of actual spiritual bliss.

Thus end the Bhaktivedanta purports to Sri Caitanya-caritamrta, Adi-lila, Thirteenth Chapter, describing the advent of Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu.

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